i resolve :: 2014 edition

a new year. a new beginning. a fantastic chance to start fresh, to set goals, to look ahead, and to reflect.

i usually do a very specific goals or wish list of things i'd like to accomplish, either for a new calendar year or a new year for my age. however, as i've reflected on 2013 and as i look ahead to 2014, i'd like to take a less structured approach this year.

being pregnant, i.e. jumping into something very unknown to me, has helped this planner realize that sometimes it's better not to plan everything. learning to go with the flow has been a great, unexpected side affect of pregnancy, but it has also been challenging. i have learned that i can't do everything, no matter how bad i want to, and that's ok.

2014 will bring about some BIG changes. some excitement. some nerves. some hardships. and some great times. so instead of defining exact things i want to accomplish or feel, i'll leave them vague and therefore, definable as i go.

1. do things i've not done before. try for at least one a month. including: cooking, crafts, parenting, places, things, etc.

2. be kind. work towards kindness. make more happy. at all possible times, and even at those times that i think it may not be possible.

3. take deep breaths. relax. have down time. enjoy nature/outside/sun. less screen time, in fact, much less screen time. hoping baby ole will help drastically with this one.

4. simplify. donate what we don't use. don't buy things that are unnecessary.

5. work out. crossfit. lift. softball. these things make me happy and are good for me at the same time. they also provide a great platform for me to learn to push myself. to be astonished by how much more i'm capable of than i could have imagined.

6. make progress. forward progress. do not remain sedentary.

2014, we are really looking forward to you! we'll be having a baby!! by the end of the year, al will be just 4 months shy of his required 3 years experience in wisconsin. and loads more that we're not even aware of.

i'd greatly appreciate it if you could slow time down a bit, since 2013 FLEW by; i'll make efforts to help you with this.

baby ole :: week 32

this week included christmas; lots of them actually!

friday was our christmas with mom and tyler, and it was great! we ate, opened presents and played card games until midnight (way past my bedtime)! then saturday we had the nesset christmas at wayne & sheryl's and after dinner & gift exchange there, we headed to the perren's for johnny's 40th birthday party. it was a long, exhausting day but fun!!

then sunday we headed home because al had to work, starting a very long week in which he had to work 12 hours 2 of the days (including christmas). sunday also brought news that gina is pregnant!!! after following along very interestedly in her journey (and struggle) to get pregnant, i can't even begin to explain how happy i am for her (and matt)!! and what a large relief i got to breathe out with this news. see having to tell your very good friend that you are pregnant when that's all she (and you) had been hoping for for her family for quite a while is hard!! made even harder when this was the case for a couple of good friends and adding in a couple of miscarriages to family/close friends while you've been pregnant. it can be quite the load to bear.

gina is one day off from being exactly 20 weeks behind me in her pregnancy; which means, hopefully, that our little ones will be 5 months apart. she is also due very close to her 30th birthday as am i; looks like we'll (again hopefully) both be getting our first babies for our 30th birthdays.

although they aren't sharing publicly yet, one of those miscarriages i mentioned above is also pregnant (again) and has made it to the 8 week mark (one of the first big milestones!). having 2 of our closest friends both pregnant and due so close to baby ole is just great!!

i also learned on sunday that i was able to do well enough on the last couple homeworks & final in my class to push my B+ up to an A-!!!

i worked on monday, then tuesday (christmas eve) after al went to work i headed up to the cities for dad's side christmas. it was a night full of ping pong and good food/cookies! i was unsure if i'd even be able to play/move for ping pong, but dad and i ended up winning the first tourney! i probably played a little bit more than i should have but wasn't too sore the next day. also, in typical christmas eve fashion, on my way up to the cities the explorer started blinking "check charging system" with the battery light flashing, which means the alternator. after replacing the alternator on christmas eve for the past 2 christmas', i was not having it! i continued to drive, hopeful that it was just the cold weather affecting the sensor. i made it to christmas and made it home, so hopefully that's all it was.

christmas morning i spent with mom and tyler; we played some games and then i headed back to bloomer since i had to work thrusday and friday.

tator under the christmas tree :) 

 baby ole's presents to grama & uncle

 mom & judie's christmas program; 12 days of (alcohol) christmas

 we take our ping pong very seriously :)

 ugly christmas sweater day at work

papa wore his harding letter sweater from 1944!

How big is baby: size of a squash (via the bump) or bok choy (via my app)

Weight gain/loss: 20-25 pounds (really hoping to stay under 30 for a total!!)

Stretch marks: multiple on each side :(

Sleep: still flip flop a lot but sleeping well (hopefully this little guy is learning to sleep well too :])

Diet/Cravings/Aversions: nothing really, my apple a day has turned into an orange a day

Movement: movement daily, his kicks are more aggressive now and often startle me :)
 

What I'm loving: christmas cookies, which isn't helping my weight gain goal much...

Symptoms: heartburn/reflux returned this weekend, but i'm hoping that's just due to all the eating (out of routine), i also think i've been having some braxton hicks contractions now. i read up on them and i've likely been having them for a couple weeks now (they can start as early as 25 weeks) and just didn't know it. i especially feel them when i get up too fast or when i'm active. they are just tightness in the lower ab section and not painful, but do cause me to want to hold or push on the area.

also, while at johnny's birthday party saturday night, i was talking with meg & manda about how i had heard about the whole 'peeing a little' thing while sneezing, coughing, jumping etc. and that i worry each time i sneeze, since they're so big, that this will happen. they assured me i have that to look forward to for the rest of my life. :) well, i think we jinxed me because sunday while watching football i choked a little bit, coughed really hard and it happened for the first time :( not something i'm looking forward to dealing with...

What I'm looking forward to: the days off for new years as this weekend and the days off for christmas we tiresome and didn't include much for sleeping/relaxing. since we won't be celebrating new years much this year with al working and me being so preggo, i'm hoping to catch up on sleep.

Best moment of the week: christmases!!

How I'm feeling: feeling large :) i had to abort wearing my christmas dress on saturday because all the pants i packed to wear under them were significantly tighter than i remembered them being and i wanted to be comfortable. i know i will only get bigger and when i compare to bellies of others pregnant near me, i'm not as big but i'm just not used to it yet. bending over is becoming more problematic which includes putting on socks and shoes; sometimes i want to just wear flip flops. :]

baby ole :: week 31

single digits in # of weeks left... yikes!! :)

this weekend i didn't do much, and it was great! we had plans to run into eau claire saturday morning for the carseat check before al had to work, but it was snowing so we decided against it (there is a carseat technician here in bloomer, so we'll schedule a time to meet with her). and i was planning to go to the cities saturday afternoon to see mom and finish up christmas shopping, but with the snow and being tired, i decided against that too. i did go into bloomer on saturday once but otherwise didn't leave the house. :)

then monday was work, my midwife appointment (they seem silly these days: i go in, get weighed, blood pressure, they ask if i have any questions, listen to heartbeat, measure uterus, then done. but i'm sure it's good to have checkups just to be sure), then home to study for my final. the midwife was able to tell with some confidence that baby ole's head is down (that explains all the pressure & hardness down there) and he's mostly on my right side (must be his back). since my appointments are on odd weeks, i'll wait 3 weeks now for my next one to get on even weeks (which appeases this numbers person!).

tuesday was my final. it went ok; better than i expected but still hard. now we wait and see. but i'm SO happy to be done with school and homework and studying. it's going to be great coming home and not having that to do. but i have a bunch of cleaning and stuff around the house i've been putting off to catch up on.

countdown to christmas is on!

How big is baby: size of a pineapple (via the bump) or a bunch of asparagus (via my app); approximately 16.2 inches and 3.3 pounds; crazy!!

Weight gain/loss: 18-23 pounds

Stretch marks: just the one on my side

Sleep: still flip flop a lot but sleeping well (hopefully this little guy is learning to sleep well too :])

Diet/Cravings/Aversions: nothing really, my apple a day has turned into an orange a day

Movement: movement daily, felt hiccups for the 2nd time and they were longer this time.

What I'm loving: school being done, christmas cookies :)

Symptoms: heartburn or reflux (amazingly monday-thursday i had absolutely no heartburn; awesome!! let's hope this continues), and hip aches, return of some round ligament pain/pressure

What I'm looking forward to: christmas, short work weeks

Best moment of the week: school getting done (can you tell i'm relieved?) :) secret santa at work

How I'm feeling: feeling pretty good. i've been really tired this week, like beyond normal tired; wanting to sleep all the time after noon and tired while driving.

baby ole :: week 30

friday-sunday al and i both had off work!! friday night we had the brown christmas at uncle munk's house. it was great to see everyone, talk with them about being preggo, and the food & cookies were excellent!! then saturday morning we did cookie making with mom and then in the afternoon we headed to shane and jodi's house. it was a blast; we ate, watched some football, played rockband and the dogs got tired out! :) it was also tator's 5th birthday on saturday. sunday we headed home in the snow and got a few things done around the house including football watching and napping.

monday-wednesday were brutally cold and windy. especially the walk to school over the bridge. i also had lots of heartburn and a return of the round ligament pain. with the pain/ache in the front and back (due to the usual hip aches) i was definitely waddling and forced to walk slower. not what you want when it's freezing outside. also, i was very tired this week; like get home from school and fall asleep sitting up tired. but i've heard other people are too this week, could be the low temps & cold season or could be being preggo.

this is my last week of class, then just the final on tuesday! so happy to be done with school!!

 tator wanted in a shot too :) 

since i was feeling huge, i thought i'd do another side by side

so i could see if i was really that much bigger...

15, 20, 25, 30 weeks

How big is baby: size of a cucumber (via the bump) or a large cabbage (via my app)

Weight gain/loss: 18-23 pounds

Stretch marks: i think i have my first stretch mark :( it's on my side. i will be lotioning even more now in an attempt to avoid more.

Sleep: still flip flop a lot and wake up occasionally but usually go right back to sleep. lots of heartburn as soon as i lay down

Diet/Cravings/Aversions: nothing really, my apple a day has turned into an orange a day

Movement: feeling movement daily, although it's much less now than before. i've read that's because he has less room in there.

What I'm loving: christmas cookies! :) and the sunshine even though it's really really cold

Symptoms: heartburn or reflux, and hip aches, return of some round ligament pain/pressure

What I'm looking forward to: the end of school and christmas

Best moment of the week:  the whole weekend was pretty great although it flew by

How I'm feeling: the weekdays this week i was feeling ready to be done being pregnant; i feel huge (after taking christmas card pictures), my engagement portion of my ring was snug (i wore the larger of the 2 wedding bands this week, instead), and not being able to walk normally or bend over or... but this little guy needs to cook a while longer, so i'll endure it and try to enjoy it!

baby ole :: week 29

this week started with a little bit of black friday shopping with mom. but we do it later style. :) we left bloomer about 8 am and were in eau claire for 2 hours, then we came back and made our own turkey dinner mostly just for the left overs :) we hit menards, target and penney's (tried kohls but the line, as always, was way too long). we got baby ole a 9 cube shelf at menards for a good deal so we put that together and al carried up the changing table before he went to work. it feels good to have his room a little more put together; now just have to make up my mind on the crib.

saturday and sunday were pretty relaxing (i didn't even open my backpack...). i put up some of our (my) outdoor christmas lights but need some more and some longer extension cords. monday was back to work and school with hurting hips. but i got a 94% on my test!! we also got some snow this week, starting on monday. and happy birthday uncle-to-be tyler!!

both sunday and monday night i woke up in the middle of the night (when al got home) and was wide awake for several hours. monday night from midnight-3a. not good for this sleeper; i need my sleep, but during this time i felt baby's hiccups for the first time! tuesday i had another midwife appointment and asked about the sleep. she said it's likely pregnancy insomnia by way of the body preparing itself to wake up every couple hours with a newborn... :(

baby ole is measuring 2 weeks bigger (well the belly is anyhow) and he has a great, steady heartbeat! will start appointments every 2 weeks now.

 29w4d

i need to remember to take my pictures during the daylight

because this room has very little light.

here's an above shot of the belly while waiting for the midwife.

it looks a lot bigger from above.

candy cane belly & new boots :)

How big is baby: size of an acorn squash (thebump.com's sizes are kind of throwing us off so i'll list my app's sizes as well) or butternut squash

Weight gain/loss: 18-23 pounds (thanksgiving meals did not help this...)

Stretch marks: none, although my belly button is starting to stretch out

Sleep: sleeping ok when i'm asleep, but wake up for hours at a time in the middle of the night. flip flopping a lot, uncomfortable by morning.

Diet/Cravings/Aversions: nothing really, still loving my apple a day

Movement: feeling movement daily

What I'm loving: looking forward to the end of school and christmas

Symptoms: heartburn or reflux, and hip aches

What I'm looking forward to: al has a 5 day weekend starting this wednesday until sunday! this includes the brown christmas (dad's side), cookie making with mom, time with shane & jodi, and christmas card pictures on sunday (hopefully i get them in time and then out on time)

Best moment of the week:  4 day, pretty relaxing weekend

How I'm feeling: monday i was over everything: school, work, being pregnant, but i remind myself that i'm lucky and this time will be over before i know it. the end of the week was better but thursday was bitter cold, with the windchill, so walking to school was terrible.

baby ole :: week 28

this week we had our annual nesset lefse making day at mom's house. it was a good time and mostly stayed on ruby duty :) the lefse was fantastic!! and we played cards and talked lots; always good to see family.

it was also thanksgiving week!! i had a test on monday and then no class the rest of the week! only 3 days of work and a much needed 4 day weekend!! mom and tyler came to bloomer on thanksgiving morning and we loaded up and headed to wausau for thanksgiving with the oleson's/wilcox's. we had thanksgiving at al's grampa's house which is now his cousin jeremy's house. it was a good time full of family, laughs, football and food!!!

mmm lefse

 ruby tried on baby ole's hat for us & looked too cute,

so the hat is hers until he's ready for it.

 her first giraffe ride :)

How big is baby: size of an eggplant

Weight gain/loss: 15-ish pounds

Stretch marks: none, although my belly button is starting to stretch out

Sleep: sleeping ok. flip flopping a lot, some uncomfortable times, wake up multiple times.

Diet/Cravings/Aversions: nothing really, still loving my apple a day

Movement: feeling movement daily

What I'm loving: pumpkin pie :)

Symptoms: loads of heartburn (or could be reflux i guess too). wednesday i had it all day, even to the point of i woke up and must have slept with my mouth closed because my throat felt like it had chemical burns in it. still not bad heartburn, just really annoying. and still haven't found a cause or solution.

What I'm looking forward to: al has a 5 day weekend the end of next week into the weekend!

Best moment of the week:  lefse day and thanksgiving

How I'm feeling: hips are beginning to bother me again, sick of the heartburn, but happy because thanksgiving week always makes one aware of everything there is to be thankful for!

baby ole :: week 27

3rd trimester. 3 months left. crazy! :)

saturday i went up to the cities and mom and i ran to bellies to babies, a consignment shop, where i got 2 pair of maternity jeans for $12 each. much better than the $35 pairs i had tried on and not liked at old navy. i also got a massage from malia. then saturday night was the beaver liquor end of the year softball party at matt & kunde's. it was so good to see and hang out with friends again. it was a wonderful time! and i stayed up til midnight; which was impressive until i didn't get all the sleep i'm used to on the weekends. :)

sunday i headed home early since al was off. we got some things done around the house, watched football, napped, i started some crafts. it was a good day.

i'm so ready for a short, thanksgiving week. 3 days of work, 1 day of school. then only 2 full weeks of school left!

oh and i passed the gestational diabetes test with flying colors!

i also had my first dream with baby ole in it. not much happened, just held him and attempted to breastfeed. oh and i couldn't remember labor/delivery or even being in the hospital; it was great :)

in other firsts, i had my first, um, leakage this week (a small spot on my pj shirt when i woke) and had my first huge cramp. i've not gotten much for cramps, other than of the feminine kind, prior to being pregnant so this calf cramp nearly killed me. :) it was at 2 am and as i cried out loudly in pain (while my very attentive husband continued sawing logs :]) i tried to remember what i'd heard others say to rid the cramp. i massaged it, tried to move my foot/leg, but it wasn't helping. so finally i threw back the covers, swung my legs off the bed and pushed my foot flat on the floor; instant relief. my calf was sore for half a day after that. and good to know that if i go into labor and am crying out in pain my husband will sleep right thru it...

we have his changing table and dresser just about finished. here's a before and after of both although i forgot to get a before of the dresser with the drawers in it. they are now gray although with the lighting in the basement, the changing table kind of looks blue in the picture. al carried the dresser into his room and we figured out where we want to put the crib and such. i loved getting to put stuff in his dresser; i love organizing! :)

 

How big is baby: size of a rutabaga (although the last 2 weeks were cauliflower & lettuce, and i think a rutabaga is smaller than both those??)

Weight gain/loss: 12-15 pounds (midwife told me they wouldn't worry if i didn't gain anymore weight...)

Stretch marks: none

Sleep: sleeping ok. flip flopping a lot, some uncomfortable times, wake up multiple times.

Diet/Cravings/Aversions:  nothing much. trying to decrease the amount of sugar intake.

Movement: feeling movement daily; but feeling less then i was.

What I'm loving: tuesdays at home when al's off.

Symptoms: feeling like i'm going to throw up when i bend over, mostly at night especially when getting into bed. and still heartburn just about daily at odd times; and i have yet to find any relief for it, tums don't even work. it's not bad heartburn more just annoying.

What I'm looking forward to: lefse day and thanksgiving week!

Best moment of the week:  saturday night with friends!!

How I'm feeling: feeling a little more control in life, like there is less uncertainities, so that's good! ready for the holidays and school to be done for the semester.

baby ole :: week 26

last week of the 2nd trimester; crazy! and down to double digits in # of days left...

this weekend mom came down on saturday (thank goodness for her, especially this weekend as al worked 12 hours friday, saturday and sunday. and there's so much darkness.) we went to a craft sale at an elementary school (mom bought a scarf and found 2 new styles of scarfs to crochet). then went to joann to stock up a lil more on their 25% off everything. :) picked up some eats at panera and the grocery store, and went back to bloomer. we painted the final coat on the baby's dresser and the 1st coat of paint on the changing table (what a pain in the butt to paint a changing table). we also had a nap and some rearranging of the office/closet/guest (mom's) room. it was both a productive and relaxing day. and my hips didn't hurt!

one month til school is over!! and 2 weeks til thanksgiving & a short week!

had my gestational diabetes test this week; the juice stuff wasn't bad (i'd heard horror stories) but did give me heartburn. sounds like it's likely sugar causing some of my heartburn. met another one of the midwives i hadn't met yet and she was so sweet and charismatic! and much more of a talker :) when i laid on the table she said "boy you've got a lot of room to stretch out in huh? how tall are you?" needless to say, she was short. yes, this long torso is nice for baby, lots of room in there. but sometimes i'd like to look as pregnant as i feel.

on wednesday when i was in a meeting at work, i folded my arms on top of my belly and each time i did, the baby kicked right there. then i'd move my arms and he'd stop. :) perhaps he can feel me.

 a little side by side of weeks 15, 20 and 25. guess he has popped out a bit :)

How far along: 26 weeks

How big is baby: size of a head of lettuce

Weight gain/loss: 12-15 pounds

Stretch marks: none

Sleep: still sleeping pretty well; flip flop from side to side often.

Diet/Cravings/Aversions:  nothing really, wanting donuts often, not a craving per say but just always want a donut. maybe this guy is gonna be a cop like his daddy :)

Movement: feeling movement daily; this is one active little boy...

What I'm loving: tuesdays when al is off, no school for me so i get to come home at noon and then it's almost like we get a whole day at home together. got lots done this tuesday.

Symptoms: just the heartburn, mostly at night. and feeling like i'm going to throw up when i bend over, especially when getting into bed at night. and a bit of hip pain later in the week.
 

What I'm looking forward to:  the softball party this weekend, a photo shoot with manda's girls, football sunday with al, and thanksgiving (both the food and family time and the time off work and school)

Best moment of the week:  the weekend was great! productivity and relaxtion!

How I'm feeling: missing crossfit! one of my coworkers started it and she tells me all about her workout and how insane it is and it gets me all pumped up! man, i love crossfit and lifting! need to stretch and do small crossfit workouts at home more often!

baby ole :: week 25

 this weekend i went up to the cities (finally! hadn't been there in a while, but it was good to stay home too). al had to work 12 hour shifts all weekend, so i went to hang out with mom and manda. mom and i shopped a little bit (she's a bad influence for that, but i guess we do need to get a crib). :) i think we decided on a crib; so many cribs are big and baulky and gawdy. then went to joann to find fabric for little man's dinosaur room. hoping to get sheets and maybe curtains made, plus a quilt/blanket for him.

then mom and i went through all our old kids books and put the little kid books upstairs. it was fun to go through them and remember the books i loved. :) mom worked me too hard cuz my hips were hurtin'. then after dinner i went to manda's and got to finally chat with her and see her cute girls. smiley is just about walking and big e is still so stinkin cute and smart and sweet! it was a great saturday.

sunday was football and lounging with tator. i forgot how much i dislike when it gets dark so early, especially with daylight savings this weekend. it's harder to be out here by myself; but i did it all last winter, i can do it again.

hopefully there are some big changes coming with al's work that, with any luck, will bring him more money and better shifts/rotation! fingers crossed!

i had another test this week on wednesday and it was rumored to be a hard one. it wasn't so bad and i was pretty proud of myself for keeping my anxiety and stress about it at bay.

How far along: 25 weeks

How big is baby: size of cauliflower

Weight gain/loss: 10-13 pounds

Stretch marks: none

Sleep: still sleeping pretty well; flip flop from side to side often.

Diet/Cravings/Aversions: nothing, still really loving fresh fruit & veggies, especially apples.

Movement: feeling movement daily; this is one active little boy...

What I'm loving: having al home during the week, especially on tuesdays; it's nice to see him. :)

Symptoms: lots of frontal ligament/muscle pain/stretching, especially when going from sitting to standing. pants that are tight-ish in the front are not helping either. and still the back hip pain.

What I'm looking forward to:  lefse day, thanksgiving in wausau, school to be over

Best moment of the week:  the first snow :) but mostly because it didn't affect driving and was gone after a couple of hours of daylight.

How I'm feeling: broke. :) and large and chunky. gotta squat, stretch and yoga more often!

baby ole :: week 24

this weekend, mom and i headed up to duluth to visit grama in her nursing home (temporary stay after breaking her hip). we met duawn and ronda up there. it was a blast! we stayed in solon springs wi which is where duawn and ronda lived for a while and have family. it was only 1.5 hours from my house in bloomer. easy drive, beautiful fall colors. we had a great time! we took grama to lunch, then when she napped we went and picked rocks, then we had her birthday party complete with balloons, presents, and a tiara & sash. she loved it and did great! she didn't repeat any of her usual stories. it was a quick but great trip and so fun to spend time with ronda and duawn for both mom and me.

 i love the north shore!!

 agates!!

 birthday girl! #96

 then sunday al and i got some things done around the house and outside since it was so nice out. we watched the packer viking game until i'd had enough and went to bed (obviously the vikes lost :(). i was not ready for work on monday; the weekend went by so fast. on tuesday, after work, al and i moved our tv, couch and other small items up a level for the winter. i almost puked during the couch move and then almost passed out afterwards. probably a lil too much for this preggo, but we only had to move it 6 steps up so all is good.

 

 

it was also halloween this week. baby ole got to dress up for the first time, kind of :)

we/he was "one direction" - nice and easy



 i keep feeling like my bump is tiny and not really noticable,

but with no shirt over it, from the front you can definitely tell

it's a baby bump and not just a beer gut :)

 and this finally happened this week

- homemade jean extended :)

also i put my belly band over this too,

which makes going to the bathroom a lengthy process

How far along: 24 weeks

How big is baby: size of a cantaloupe

Weight gain/loss: 10-13 pounds

Stretch marks: none

Sleep: still sleeping pretty well; flip flop from side to side often.

Diet/Cravings/Aversions: nothing, still really loving fresh fruit & veggies, especially apples.

Movement: feeling movement daily. while we were watching a movie tuesday afternoon, tator was laying on my belly and the baby was moving/kicking harder than i've felt yet. trying to pet tator i'd guess :)

What I'm loving:  the new living area which will hopefully be warmer.

Symptoms: lots of heartburn this week. monday and tuesday all day; not bad just there and annoying.

What I'm looking forward to:  the weekend :)

Best moment of the week:  the weekend was lots of fun!

How I'm feeling: not looking forward to winter for once. and not looking forward to daylight savings time. i dislike being home especially alone when it's dark. but exctied for the holidays and only 1.5 months of school left!! :)

baby ole :: week 23

this week started with a proof test in class that i was incredibly nervous about but then ended up finishing it in 6 minutes. then it was a weekend of organizing. mom came down saturday to help me with a bunch jobs around the house while al worked 12 hours. we got a ton done but i was hurtin afterwards, darn hip! (i have since found out that it is actually sacroiliac joint pain that is often triggered by pregnancy. which makes me feel better that there's not something wrong with me :])

first we went shopping: we went to an apple orchard (yummy!), to menards, and to shopko (our favorite!). we also had a late lunch at main street cafe in bloomer which included buying a pecan pie that was beyond delicious!

upon our return, we moved everything out of the office room closet, then moved all my clothes (i had a whole room as my closet) and dressers into the office room (the bigger of the 2). we also hauled most of the stuff that was in the office into other areas: closets and down 2 levels so that al and i could go through it all. mom vacuumed both rooms and dusted everything; so thankful for moms, in particular mine! after getting all that done, we brought all the baby stuff we've gotten as hand-me-downs up to the baby's room (my old closet room). we tore apart all the seats and things that needed to be washed, put away some clothes and i put his toys and books on his book shelf. we have a lot of stuff but at the same time still have a lot to get. we also sanded down the little dresser we had gotten for him at a garage sale and primed it. i painted the first coat of the grey on it on sunday.

then on sunday, al and i brought all the totes that had our crap in them into the tv room and went through it all. we ended up emptying about 6 or 7 totes! and got our house back into at least working order. we labeled every tote this time and put them neatly on the shelves in the basement so we know where everything is. such a great project done!

al also had monday and tuesday off, so he ended up getting all but 2 windows plastic-ed (in hopes of keeping this frozen tundra, i mean large badly insulated house, i mean this wonderful house on 5 acres that we've [kind of] chosen to stay in, warmer than last winter). he also made brownies and mowed the lawn; i'm not sure who put the quarter in him, but i was very happy and thankful he did it all without me asking (read: nagging) him about it.

i bought a thermometer and it's been between 57-59 degrees in our house; cold! but we have to put more propane in the tank so we don't want to turn the thermostats up yet and it's still bearable. i'm sure i'll turn on the little space heater i got soon tho. we also need to move the tv and couch up one level that will hopefully be warmer, but that will likely wait until next weekend or later.

trying a new location for pictures this week, not the best lighting. and maybe someday i'll wear cute clothes and do my hair :)

 

How far along: 23 weeks

How big is baby: size of a grapefruit

Weight gain/loss: 10-13 pounds

Stretch marks: none

Sleep: still sleeping pretty well; flip flop from side to side often. 

Diet/Cravings/Aversions: nothing, still really loving fresh fruit & veggies, especially apples.

 

Movement: feeling movement daily. he was really active on sunday while we were watching football and al got to really feel him move. the movement this time was much higher than usual, above my belly button.

What I'm loving:  still loving the beautiful fall colors and being home more. oh yeah, and only having to put gas in the vw once in 10 days instead of the 3x per week i was doing.

Symptoms: hip pain (sacroiliac), tough to bend over for too long like when tying my shoes, had some headaches early this week

What I'm looking forward to:  going to duluth with mom, ronda and duawn for grama's birthday.

Best moment of the week:  getting to spend a lot of time at home with al on sunday and tuesday.

How I'm feeling: still unsure about school. i miss getting to come home and not worry about homework. also feeling broke as we learned we have to pay for almost all of our ultrasound towards this year's deductible but the rest of baby's expenses will likely be towards next year's deductible. it's a lot of money and would be nice to apply it to the same deductible.